Photograph and discover an unspoiled wilderness of mountains, glaciers, forests, and steppes from high alpine camps. This workshop is for active, hiking photographers who wish to experience the wilderness up close while enjoying the luxury of a fully outfitted camp. We’ll be visiting both the Argentinian and Chilean sides of this astounding mountain region, with some of the most dramatic mountains in the world towering over glaciated lakes and rolling, grassy foothills.

This workshop will be lead by Michael Strickland and our local guide Cecilia Costa as they introduce you to the unique alpine environments within the Los Glaciares and Torres del Paine National Parks. April is the fall season in the southern hemisphere, and we have timed this workshop to photograph the colorful, warm hues of the changing fall foliage. Be prepared to hike up to eight miles into the alpine zones of these incredible mountains, where our outfitters will provide all the cooking and creature comforts in an alpine camp. You’ll have your own nylon tent for all the nights spent camping and hot drinks and food for each meal. Our camps will be within walking distance to the best high-alpine locations so that we can capture the stunning views in great light.

You will be in an exclusive small group of only 6 like-minded photographers. You'll be learning from Michael and Cecilia how to improve your landscape photography as well as about the local geology, flora, and fauna. They will be teaching camera techniques such as long exposures, exposure bracketing (both manual and automatic), and using various lenses to photograph creative compositions by stitching multiple exposures together. Learn how to capture the alpine glow reflecting in glacial waters of the lakes. You’ll have time to work on improving your post-processing skills, helping you learn to pre-visualize with the final image in mind. With so many dramatic landscapes, you will be captivated all day—and even during the night—when we get the chance to photograph these stunning mountains bathed in stars!

We just returned from the Canadian Rockies trip and it was incredible. This is my second workshop with Muench Workshops, and I can’t wait to go on my next one. I learned so much from Michael Strickland. He is passionate about photography, deeply knowledgable, a top-notch professional, and just plain fun.

— Sally Cameron, Canadian Rockies '18, New Zealand '16

Itinerary and General Information

April 15, 2020: Arrive this day in El Calafate, Argentina (FTE airport code). We will meet at our hotel, which is a quick taxi ride from the airport. At 5:00 PM we'll have an introductory meeting and then enjoy dinner together.

April 16, 2020: We spend a morning visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier where we will have the opportunity to hike around this stunning glaciated landscape in the morning light. Following, we'll drive north to El Chaltén where we'll be staying at our hotel packing and getting ready for an early start on our hike the following morning.

April 17–19, 2020: We start the hike after a hearty breakfast. The only pack you’ll carry is for personal items, snacks, and water. All your heavy camping supplies will be carried up by outfitters leaving you with a light pack to enjoy the hike with. Once in camp, you’ll have time to settle into your tent, eat an early dinner, and go walking to the first location to photograph the sunset. The views of Mt Cerro Torre over Lago Torre will be stunning, and you’ll have plenty of time over the following two days and nights to capture it in the perfect light.

April 19, 2020: We’ll hike out of the mountains back into El Chalten for one night in our hotel and a couple of hot meals and showers. This will be a perfect rest from camping, allowing everyone time to charge personal batteries and camera batteries.

April 20–22, 2020: We’ll start the hike early again and this time from our hotel where the trail ascends directly out of town to our first camp. This will be a 7-mile hike with an elevation gain of 2,000 feet. The camp is an amazing location which provides great access to some more wonderful photograph within a short walk. We’ll spend two nights camping here giving us plenty of time to explore the various trails in the area just below Mt Fitz Roy.

April 22, 2020: We’ll leave camp and hike back to El Chalten, this time all downhill. Once in town, we’ll have a hearty meal then load in our van and drive back to El Calafate where hot showers await everyone.

April 23–25, 2020: We drive into Chile where we‘ll spend time in the Torres del Paine National Park. We'll be staying at the Hotel Pahoe, where we can unpack and enjoy more amazing views from our rooms. We‘ll be spending two nights here to explore the shoreline of this beautiful location as well as the surrounding locations during the best light.

April 26, 2020: We’ll move to our final hotel located just below the famous Towers where we’ll stay at our hotel Las Torres and enjoy another opportunity to hike up close to the towers.

April 26, 2020: Early sunrise on our final morning before breakfast, checking out from our hotel, then a drive back to our final hotel at the Chile Argentina border.

April 27, 2020: Breakfast, check out, then drive back to Calafate for flights home.

What To Bring

Please see our What to Bring page now for guidelines on packing. We’ll be sharing plenty of details about the hikes and what specific equipment you will need for this expedition.

Payment Terms

Your deposit of $4,000 will hold your space in this workshop. A second payment of $4,500 will be due on September 1, 2019. The balance of $3,995 will be due not later than January 1, 2020. All of our standard terms and conditions apply. Need special payment arrangements for your deposit? No problem, just ask us.

Additional Information

Patagonia is simply amazing from the high alpine perspective. For a great small group photo experience at the best time of year, click the “Sign Me Up!” button, and we‘ll see you in Patagonia! Got questions?

Gallery

Muench Workshops offers personal instruction and an all-inclusive experience so you can focus on your photography. Founded in 2007, we collaborate with the best pros and local guides to offer the ultimate learning environment for landscape and wildlife photographers, so you can best capture our beautiful planet.